title: [Influence of the seasonal variation on the prevalence of pre-eclampsia in Kinshasa].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims at determining the influence of the seasons on the occurrence of pre-eclampsia in the county city of Kinshasa (DR Congo).
  
  
  METHODS
  A multicentric descriptive study was carried out in three great maternity hospitals of this city between 2003 and 2007. The registers and files of the maternity wards and the units of intensive care were used for the gathering of medical data. The geographical data on the seasonal changes were provided by two great weather stations, which receive the satellite data on the town suit. These data include the temperature, the percentage of humidity and the rate of precipitation. This information allowed to define for each year the dry season and the season of rains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 17,592 pregnant women were studied. Among these, we could find 1492 (8.5 %) cases of pre-eclampsia and 319 (1.8 %) cases of eclampsia. The distribution of these pregnant women according to two seasons revealed that 11,358 (64 %) pregnancies were seen during the season of rain and that among these, 681 (6 %) were complicated by pre-eclampsia. During the dry season, 6234 (36 %) pregnancies occurred and among these we found 811 (13 %) cases of pre-eclampsia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The seasonal distribution reveals that the incidence of pre-eclampsia is significantly higher during the dry season than during the rainy season, but probably is not directly related to meteorological factors but rather on the nutritional deficiencies caused by the low rate of precipitations.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital général de Kinshasa, République démocratique du Congo. elongi2002@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: J-P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Elongi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tandu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spitz
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verdonck
mesh_terms: D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004461:Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011891:Rain; D012621:Seasons